Die Laughing
by Lorelei Page
Summary: Medically discharged from the Army and a three time war vet, Valarie is back home in Gotham. After getting some recognition from the news after an attempted bank robbery she has caught the attention of the Clown Prince of Crime. She meets him, not knowing who he was, at a club during a night out. Valarie has pieces of her own mind missing. Will the Joker take what's left?
1. Chapter 1

The day had started out simply enough. But if there was anything Valarie learned over the years nothing could ever stay simple; complications always a way of rearing it's ugly head. It wasn't her jog that morning that was the reason for her frustration even though the action caused her old injury to bring her almost crippling pain. It wasn't even her perverted landlord not answering her call to get her water heater fixed. No, it was a trip to the bank. She only wanted to open an account which should have been a quick 30 minutes at most to do. She was even next in line. But no, it seemed that a few punks felt they needed money, but were obviously to dumb or lazy to hold down a real job, so robbing a bank appeared to be a bright idea. Upon their arrival they fired a semi-automatic assault rifle in the air, instinct kicked in and Valarie dropped to the ground and observed her surroundings. She hoped it was just flashbacks from deployment but no they were very real. "Everybody on the ground!" a rather scrawny young man wearing a Halloween mask demanded and the patrons obeyed terrified. Another man, also wearing a mask, approached the clerk that Valarie was in line to see. He threw a black dufflebag at the woman who began to sob uncontrollably. "Put the money in the bag." he said with a gruff voice. She fumbled with the bag dropping it on the ground, "Come on, bitch." he said angrily looking around and saw Valarie. He reached down grabbing her by her hair. _Pussy._ She thought. "If you don't get a move on, this woman will lose her life." he informed the middle aged woman. She nodded looking at Valarie, fear deeply rooted in her eyes.

As they went to the back Valarie began assessing her options. She couldn't go on the offense with the pair of men so close with all the civilians. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel. She waited until they were in the vault. The man loosened his grip on her hair with the weapon pointed at the teller. In a flash Valarie grabbed the barrel of the rifle pointing it at the ceiling. Caught of guard Valarie managed to get the weapon out of his hands. She got a tight grip on the rifle and turned hitting him on his temple with the butt stock knocking him out cold. "Close the door behind you. Stay put and call the police." she ordered and hurried to get the other man down. She crept and peeked around the corner to see two other men that had joined the party. "Fuck." she muttered. She had to come up with a plan to incapacitate these men without any casualties. She got low to ground and high crawled close enough to the action. Two men were standing together laughing at a woman holding her child who was crying. _Cowards._ She looked down at the magazine, she only needed three shots to kill them but that would be too easy. She took a deep breath and stood with the butt stock pressed firmly on her shoulder. Before they knew what hit them she fired a round into the pair each of them in the chest. Not to kill just to maim. She quickly kicked their guns away from them. The other one finally realized what was happening and had turned his weapon on the young woman who also had hers pointed at him. She fired quickly enough and he hit the ground writhing in pain. A civilian grabbed the weapon before he could use it against anyone.

"Fucking bitch." one of them spat from the ground. Valarie looked down at him, "If I were you I'd shut your mouth. I'm the one with the big gun now." she informed him because it seemed he did not realize. It didn't take long for the police to arrive and arrest the men. "There is one in the vault, I took his weapon," she explained handing the officer the weapon, "I don't know if he armed with anything else though." The officer seemed shocked as he handed the weapon off to another officer to put into evidence. "From what I've been told you have done a very brave thing. But I do have to ask," he paused scratching his head, "How did you manage to take them down by yourself?" Valarie forced a smile, "I was trained to do so. I just got out of the Army and training to do that is perpetual." his eyes changed from being curious to that of acknowledgment, "Well we thank you for your service and for your actions here today." The blonde nodded, "It's no problem, we both are here to serve and protect." she smiled dryly. "However, we are still going to have to get your statement, protocol." he explained a little sheepishly. "Of course." she explained the events that took place. She would have to go another day to set up a bank account.

Upon her arrival at her home she took a shower found her way in sit in front of the television. With a glass of coke and rum she sat back and enjoyed her relaxation time. On the news they told the story of the attempted robbery. "Today at Gotham City Bank an attempted robbery took place. We were told that there were four men involved. What stopped them? You might ask. A US Army veteran by the name of Valarie Demont, a native to Gotham City returning home from an eight year term." Valarie scowled, _They might as well hand out my address too. Holy shit_. "We were lucky enough to get a comment from the young veteran." A video recording of Valarie appeared on the screen, "What were your first thoughts when the man fired the gun?" the male reporter asked her, "Get down. Hearing gunshots isn't exactly, uh, heartwarming." she answered stupidly, "What was going through mind as you fired those bullets?" he continued, "That these men were a threat to all of these people. I don't want to see anymore death, not if I can stop it." she answered her bright green eyes looking into the camera. The screen flashed back to the set. "Welcome back home soldier, and thank you again for your heroic actions today." Valarie flipped through the channels sipping her drink. She had drank nearly the whole bottle before she finally passed out on her couch with the sound of old reruns of The Munsters played in the background.

Valarie had a rude awakening thanks to the ground. She hit the cold, hardwood floor with a _thud._ Cold sweat dripped from her body, her clothes soaked in it. She sat up and hugged her knees as she allowed herself to be vulnerable around her demons. Her self pity session was over in a little under an hour. She got up and showered just to get sweaty again with a run. Her doctor advised against any physically strenuous task due to her injury. But after doing it for so long Valarie found she liked to run. It was alone time to clear her head. She would run from four to six miles depending on how she was feeling. Maybe a little shorter today. That hangover was no joke. When she arrived back home she caught her phone ringing, "Hey Val. Thanks for letting me know you were back home." a familiar voice was on the other side, "We have to celebrate your freedom." Claire said excitedly. "Hey Claire, sorry I only got back like two days ago. Sorry I'm still adjusting to the time zone. But yeah going out sounds good I need to get out of my house." she said looking at the surrounding boxes. "Good, text me your address, and I'll come get you tonight, say around nine or ten?" Claire suggested, "We never really had a proper 21st birthday together for either of us." Valarie smiled, "Sounds great. I'm glad you called."

Valarie spent the rest of daylight relaxing, she took a long aromatherapy bath with a glass or two of cheap wine. She napped for hours, a restless sleep but more than what she had got the night before. She needed to go back to the doctors for stronger sleeping medication; even though she was already on three different kinds. The night terrors were getting progressively worse. However, Valarie pushed those thoughts in the back of her head as she got ready for the night. She dressed in a skin tight red dress that showed her slim, yet curvy figure. She stared at her reflection. She was muscular and though it wasn't all that feminine she wore it well. She strapped on a nine milometer to her inner thigh. Just in case, she was in Gotham after all. Her platinum blonde hair hung in loose curls that reached down to her back. In her purse she had the usual, her wallet, cell phone and a small frame revolver. Maybe she was paranoid. No, she _was_ paranoid. There was a knock on her door and she could see Claire peeking in through the window, her red hair cut short. She waved fervently as she saw Valarie. When the door opened they almost fell as the pounced on each other. "I've missed you so much!" Claire exclaimed taking a look at her childhood friend. "I've missed you too." they shared another long hung.

Starstruck was the name of the club and it was exactly what Valarie expected. Shady characters lingering around drunk girls, loud, thumping music, and a VIP section closed off to the crowds saved for a select few who wanted to the pay the price. The pair made their way to the bar to take seats next to each other before they were all taken. Claire ordered some fruity drink with a name entirely too long. Valarie's tastes were a lot more simple. A rum and coke. But before they started on those drinks they took shots of tequila and a lime. "Hey you're that woman from the news." the bartender recognized her. Valarie shook her head, "Yeah you are. First rounds are on the house for you and your friend." his skin was darkened and wrinkled from hard work outside. He was blind in one eye with a scar going down his face. "Thank you." Valarie said loudly as she smiled. It wasn't long before a crowd of men surrounded the pair, Claire was basking in the attention giggling and touching 'muscles'. Valarie would immediately shut down any advances by the men in here. "I'm gonna go dance with- what was your name again?" he whispered in her ear, "Brian." her pale skin was red with alcohol. "Have fun." Valarie found she enjoyed people watching more then she did involving herself with the horde of people. She saw two huge men wearing sunglasses walk in and go directly to the VIP section. She was curious but she knew better than to be nosy. She turned back around and noticed some guy standing awfully close staring at her and her drink. She flagged down the bartender and handed him her drink, "Can I get a fresh one. I waited too long, it's all watered down now." she smiled sheepishly.

"I got this one, friend." a smooth yet unsettling voice spoke from behind her. She looked back ready to deny him but she was shocked by what she saw. It was hard to say what she noticed first, his green hair, his impossibly pale skin or the tattoos his skin adorned. "It's quite alright I can pay for my own drinks." she told him coldly. "I wasn't asking Dollface." he stared at her up and down like a predator sizing up it's next meal. Valarie was not prey. The other man seemed to know something Valarie did not and left leaving an open space for this green haired stranger. He took that spot leaning against the bar. Her drink was placed quickly in front of her and this man threw down a twenty. "What's your name?" his eyes full of curiousness. "Camille." she answered. He smiled showing the silver in his mouth, "You and I both know that is a lie, Val." he said his eyes intense. Her stomach did flipflops as he called her by her nickname. "Then why ask a question you already knew?" she countered, "I'm sorry to say I don't know yours though." he raised an eyebrow obviously shocked by this. It was quickly replaced by a smirk. He handed her a playing card; she flipped it over, "Joker? What kind of name is that?"

"The kind you won't forget." he assured her. "Why don't you come to the back with me so we can, uh, talk." he suggested. "No thank you. I'm here with one of my friends. And I don't know you." she gulped her drink. He laughed, "I like feisty. It makes the chase so much better." he said stepping closer to her. "Don't waste your energy. You can't handle what I have." she explained to him continuing to drink her drink. He was about to reply but then got interrupted by another man. Joker's face became cool and emotionless. "Until next time Dollface." he tilted her chin up and took in her appearance one more time. When he left Claire popped up with wide eyes, "Are you okay? What did he do to you?" she asked apparently worried. "Yeah I'm fine. He just bought my drink. Why? Who is that?" she asked. "That the Joker, he is like in some seriously illegal shit. Not petty crime. Like crazy murderer type shit." she explained, "And he is out walking around?" Valarie asked, "They've locked him several times but he breaks out. He has already escaped three times. And he is like insane or something so they can't give the death penalty. Just be careful. Him giving you attention is not a good thing."

Great just what Valarie needed to complicate her life even more. A psycho clown.


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the night was uneventful and she was home just past one in the morning. Claire, it seemed, found comfort in the arms of Brian that night. She smiled shaking her head. _Some things never change_. She thought to herself. Claire had always been a little boy crazy, she had developed faster than Valarie. Claire was the model type whereas Valarie was the one who wore clothes entirely too big to hide her shape. At almost six foot tall Valarie was insecure with her body image, It wasn't until a little while after she enlisted she gained the courage to show off her figure; and when she did she got a lot of attention. She understood then why Claire loved it so much. It was nice to be noticed. However, Valarie was a very serious person and she dived head first into her work. Maxing out on points when it came to her physical fitness test, shooting expert on her assault rifle, machine guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers. She loved her job. She had planned on making it a career, however when she came home from the last deployment when was not just physically broken but mentally as well. She was unable to reenlist.

Later in morning and with roughly three hours of sleep Valarie was up and restless. She cleaned her home spotless. The rooms smelled of a mixture of Pinesol, bleach and air freshener. Shockingly not a bad mixture. She cooked a full breakfast, eating only half of it. She went online just to waste time until she couldn't sit still any longer. It was a gym kind of day. She showered and packed her dufflebag. She dressed in black spandex capris with a green stripe going down the side of the leg and a matching sports bra. She observed herself in the mirror, the bright colors of her tattoos were vibrant against her pale skin. Her blonde hair pulled back in a slick pony tail. She threw a gray hoodie and left for the local gym.

A few gym rats lingered by the bench having a dick slinging contest, seeing who could lift more with more repetitions. They eyed Valarie as she approached the rowing machine. A smirk on their arrogant faces as the ogled her. She ignored them as she put headphones playing Hinder and began her work out. She rotated around the gym using each piece of equipment as she went by. More people were in now. They were surrounding the boxing ring cheering on whoever was fighting. For shits and giggles Valarie decided to stick around to watch. It didn't take long before she got into it. Yelling at the pair, "That's a weak ass head lock, get your ass out of that and get his ass to the fucking ground!" she demanded. She got a few sideways glances. The smaller man tapped out. She lost it looking crazy eyed and went over to his corner. "Look buddy, that guy is sloppy. He may be stronger than you. But his footing is jacked. And you're faster than him. Aim low, get him to the ground. And. Choke. Him. Out." she told him. He was tired she could tell that much but he nodded. The bell dinged and they were at it again. The guy listened to her and the big guy was landed on his front. The smaller one got on top, snaked his arm around his neck and pulled. He wasn't going to tap though. His face turned red and then a curious shade of purple before he passed out. The referee stopped the fight and two other guys dragged him off the mat. The guy went up to Valarie with a swollen eye where he was hit, "Thanks lady." he said before sliding off the stage and went to his buddies who highfived him.

She smiled and went to grab her back. The big guy who lost was awake and pissed. He approached Valarie, "You bitch. What did you do? I know it was you." he got entirely too close for comfort, but Valarie just bowed up ready to bring his big ass down. "If you weren't a woman I'd knock you out." he threatened. She smiled teasingly, "You know I highly doubt you haven't hit a woman before. The difference is, I'll break your fucking arm." she smirked egging him on. He turned red with rage, "You know what bitch lets go." he said. His friend interrupted, "No man I got it. I'll teach her a few lessons." he winked at Valarie. "Be careful playing teacher, you might just get schooled." she said looking the guy in his eyes. He was top heavy, as if he skipped a few leg days. It took only a few minutes for Valarie to suit up, hands wrapped and a mouthguard in place. She jogged a little place stretching her arms and neck. _This is going to fun._ "Don't worry baby, I'll take it easy on you." he winked before putting his mouthguard in. Valarie licked her mouthguard and the bell dinged twice. They did a little dance around the pin, Valarie watching his movements. He came in close ready to take the first hit. He tried to grab her but Valarie moved quickly. He was starting out very predictable. He shot her a left jab, he missed. He was faster than he looked. Good, he needed something to help him out. Valarie laughed through her the rubber in her mouth. He didn't exactly like that. He made another attempt to punch her with his left hand. With her left hand on his wrist and the other on his shoulder Valarie brought her right leg behind his foot and as she pushed his shoulder she brought back her foot knocking with a loud _thud_ on his back. Wasting no time she jumped on him sliding one arm under one arm and her other arm over the same arm. Turning away from the constricted arm, on the balls of her shoes, she put her hips next to his triceps. She had her knee next to his head and her other leg spread out down along his body. She drew it in and out again to throw the leg closest to his head over his head. Sliding down his arm where her hips were under his shoulder. With her knees tightly pressed together she brought her hips up until he was writhing. He was being stubborn though, he wasn't tapping. She was going to end breaking his arm. She continued gradually until he finally tapped out. Instantly, Valarie released him. She got up too quickly and her hip throbbed painfully. She held where the pain was the worst. She wouldn't allow herself to limp even though she was clearly hurting. She slid from the pin and grabbed her bag, "It's been fun, but, uh, it's time for me to head home." she said to the group of men. They all nodded their approval and were laughing at the guy still laying on the mat looking as if he contemplating all his life decisions.

"Damn girl, that was the best fight with a surprise ending I have ever seen." a man with snow white hair and a bushy mustache said to her. "Thank you sir." she said grimacing as she left the gym. Outside it was already hot. She waved down a cab and started for home to soak in an Epsom salt bath.

Hours later while Valarie was sitting in front of her television her phone rang. "Hullo?" she answered drowsily, "Hey Val." Claire was on the other line, "Have you seen the news?" she asked excitedly, "You are such a badass." she said. "What are you talking about?" Valarie asked as she turn the channel. She saw a video of her at the gym during the fight, "Let me call you back." she said hanging up. "There you have it folks, it seems that our home town hero has a knack for being in the lime light. This video already has almost one million views." the news anchor said, "If I were a criminal I wouldn't want to pass this young woman." she chuckled. _Holy shit._ She shook her head. "So much for a quiet home coming." she muttered to herself. Her stomach growled angrily. She looked at the time, _7:42._ She didn't feel like cooking so she settled with getting some Italian food from the corner. She changed out of her sweats and put on some jeans and grabbed a knife and slid it into her back pocket.

Though the restaurant wasn't all that full it was loud as if it was. Valarie was greeted by a young dark haired girl no older than 16, "Hello, just one?" she asked looking behind Valarie. She nodded smiling. "Okay follow me." the girl smiled sweetly. She was lead to a table away from all the noise thankfully. After taking her drink order the young girl left to get it only to come back and get her food order. As she waited patiently, she played on her phone. So into her phone she hardly noticed that someone had joined her. She looked up and saw the familiar green hair and purple silk shirt. "Hello, Doll." his smile was insane. Her back straightened. She silently cursed herself for being so easily attracted to this man. It was strange. "I'm not a doll." she told him. His eyes dropped down to her mouth and then her neck making her swallow hard. "Oh, but you are. A doll I want to _play_ with." his bright eyes menacing. "Find another toy. This one is broken." she told him playing along. Joker smiled, for some reason this smile terrified Valarie. "No, not yet." he said as if he had already come up with a plan. His eyes told his emotions even though he his face seemed content. "What do you want from me?" Valarie shot blatantly agitated. His red lips stretched across his face. Another strike of terror filled Valarie body.

Which was bad. Nothing really frightened her anymore, at least while she was awake. At the moment the place was quiet, she only just noticed. He leaned over the table and got really close, "If I tell you," he paused to touch Valarie's cheek. Maybe it was instinct or insanity but Valarie grabbed his wrist, "Don't. Touch me." she told him. That was a mistake she very quickly learned. He grabbed her by the neck bringing her close. " _Tsk. Tsk."_ he waved his other finger in front of her face, "You need to start your training soon. We can't, uh, have you touching with my permission." Valarie was frozen. He seemed to like her reaction. "I'll be around Dollface." he promised as he released her. He quickly stood up, "Be ready for me." he demanded, "We're gonna have some fun." he cooed. "Fuck off." she told him with a glare. His eyes had venom in them as he looked down on her. A bearded man approached Joker and whispered in his ear. He looked back at Valarie, "Until next time." he winked. _What the actual fuck?_ Her food came as soon as he left, this mine a man brought out her food. She ate in silence and threw a ten on the table and left. Walking up the stairs to her home she felt something...off. She grabbed her knife as she opened the door and let it swing open. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. All the lights were out. Valarie walked through her house turning on the living room light. Nothing was out place. "You going crazy Val." she said aloud to herself. She tossed the pocket knife on the coffee table and went to her room to change into some pajama shorts and a large t-shirt. She found her way to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine and grabbed a bag of pita chips.

Back in the living she covered up with a dark green fleece blanket with remote in hand. As she reached for her glass to take a sip is when she noticed it. The knife was no longer there. There was someone in her house. She took a sip and placed the glass back down. Without seeming as panicked as she felt she got up and went to her room get her handgun. It wasn't there. She went to her closet and grabbed a baseball bat. She went through her house and saw nothing. She checked in the pantry, bathroom, even in the cabinets, nothing to be found. Maybe she didn't put it there. She lowered her bat and huffed rubbing her head. "You are very paranoid Valarie." she heard a very familiar growl. "Who do you think is coming after you?" Joker asked seeming to come out of the shadows from no where. "How did you get in my house?" she said her voice giving her emotion away, "How do you know where I live?" he tilted his head with his hand over his mouth. A tattoo of a cartoony open mouth smile on full display. His bright green hair on full display. His shirt was replaced by a purple reptile skin jacket, shirtless underneath. "I keep up with my pets." he explained. He slowly approached her the bat felt to heavy to lift. "Leave or I'll call the police." she threatened to which he started laughing hysterically. "No you won't." he was standing over her now, making her tall stature seem diminutive. He snatched the bat and threw it on the ground. He grabbed her face with both hands. "Spunky. I like it." he pushed her on the wall, "You know though, it gets old. I like my women submissive." Valarie brought her knee to his groin and as he curled over she ran for the door.

The bearded man held a gun standing on front of the entrance. She turned to go out back but the Joker was standing over her again his eyes filled with rage. He grabbed her by the throat squeezing tightly so she couldn't breath. As her vision began to blur he released her. She fell to the ground choking as air filled her lungs. She scooted away from him as he knelt down. "Come here." he ordered. Valarie only wanted to get away from him. Clearly aggravated, he reached for her and grabbed her pulling her close, "You will learn to obey. Lucky for you, I'm a good teacher." he said patting her cheek as she turned away from him. "You know you did this to yourself. If you had just been a good girl while my men were robbing the bank, you wouldn't be right here right now with me." he explained, "Oh, but I'm really glad you did. I like a little fight." he cooed stroking her hair holding her to his chest. "Now." he took out her knife and flipped it open, "We are gonna have some fun." he waved it in her face. "If you're gonna kill me just do it, get it over with." he told him as he held her by her arm. "Oh, no, no, no, no. I'm not gonna kill you. I'm gonna play with you. The worst part is, by the time I'm done with you. You're gonna be begging me for more."

He twisted her arm making her lay flat on her stomach, binding her hands and feet. He flipped her over she gasped in pain. "We haven't even started yet Dollface. Get out." he said to his goon, waving the knife once more. He cut her shirt into shreds leaving her mostly exposed. "No bra?" he seemed intrigued. He touched the space between her breast before grabbing one very roughly pulling on the nipple. "Please stop." she begged, not wanting to admit how much she was actually enjoying it. It had been so long since the last time she was touched. "I don't think you really want me to." his hand trailed down her flat stomach. Valarie gasped as he went even lower. His strong hands teasing her, "Oh, no. Not yet." his voice very gruff. "What are you doing?" she asked as she saw him with the knife. "Marking what's mine." he said menacingly as he started too carve. Valarie was given a rag to bite down on and keep her quiet. It felt like hours when in reality it was only twenty minutes. When he was done he smiled at his handy work, "Now then, behave yourself. I'll see you soon." he promised leaving Valarie on the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun glared off the hot sand as the convoy continued down the road. Valarie ignored the discomfort of the heavy vest meant to protect her. Under her uniform she was sweating so bad she felt like she was swimming. The driver seemed nervous, he was young maybe 18 or 19. First time out on his own and now he was in the middle of a war zone. "Relax Sanders. You're gonna go home." she assured the kid, "Roger Staff Sergeant." he said his voice shaky. "Where are you from?" she asked looking out the window searching for anything that could kill them. "Illinois sergeant." he answered. She saw a dog in the distance. She immediately grabbed the radio, "Spartan 1, to Eagle Main. Over." she said into the phone like device, "Eagle Main, to Spartan 1, what's you're message? Over." Lieutenant Richards answered quickly, "Spartan 1, to Eagle Main, there is an animal on you three o'clock. Over" she informed. "Roger. Out." only seconds passed before a round was fired and the dog was down. Sanders looked over briefly looking sympathetic. "Don't worry about a dog soldier. It could have been a person with a bomb strapped to it." she said. "Roger." he said.

Out of nowhere a blast could be heard and seen as a humvee exploded and flipped over. Immediately the convoy stopped and soldiers got out and got low to the ground pulling security like they were trained to do. Valarie tried to get out but her seat belt got caught on her vest. She struggled to get free but couldn't get the blasted thing free. She looked out her window only to see a rocket headed towards her. She covered Sanders with her body as the vehicle was blown over. They were sitting ducks. "Are you alright?" she asked the soldier. He groaned in response. She prepared to fall before freeing herself. She hit the roof hard and heavy. Disoriented she succeeded opening the latch. She helped Sander's get free, "Grab your weapon, I'll go first and help you out." she said as she pulled herself up and out. Staying low she took Sander's weapon and he handed her her own. He got out and she pulled him off and threw him on the ground giving him his weapon. "Pull security Sander's. Crawled back to the vehicle and reached in to grab the radio, "Eagle Main, this is Spartan 1, vehicle A31 is down. Both Soldiers are okay. Over." she said. They only replied with a roger and Valarie pulled security until directed to do something else.

"Valarie." the shrink called Valarie out of her trance, "Valarie are you still there?" she asked. Valarie blinked back tears and nodded. "Did he make it home?" she asked fixing her glasses. "Who?" she asked. "The soldier. Sanders." "Oh, um, yeah he did, but he, uh, committed suicide shortly after coming home." she said. "It was my soldier down range. I should've-" she rubbed her forehead. "You can't hold yourself accountable for what he did on his own." she said sympathetic. "Have you found a job yet?" she asked changing the topic. "I have one lined up. But I decided to take a break. Get myself right before I transition to be a civilian again." she explained, "I'll be working at Wayne Enterprises as a communications expert." she explained. "What about making friends? Have you met anyone new?" Valarie thought of the Joker, it had been almost a week since their last interaction. The mark he made started to sting. "No, doc, I live in the city. People aren't exactly friendly. But I mean I have Claire and she is great. Very supportive and pulls me out of the house to socialize." she spoke the truth. Claire always had a knack for getting Valarie out and about. The shrink looked down at her watch, "Well that's all we have time for today. I'll see you next week. And I'm gonna write you a new prescription for your sleep. Okay?" she smiled.

When she got home she took her medication and laid down in her bed. She laid on her back with her shirt lifted. She looked down at the newest addition of her collection of scars, _Property of the Joker._ The letters read plain as day, he cut them deep enough to leave a permanent scar. Her medicine was starting to hit her, with a yawn she curled in the fetal position. Through her curtains she watched a streetlight flicker. Once here, twice there, sometimes turning off for a few seconds. Her eyelids got heavy as she blinked until finally she did not have the energy to open them once more.

 _Wake up._ Valarie urged herself as she pressure on her chest. Her heart pounded loudly against her rib cage. She flinched trying to bring herself out of her dreams. _Wake up._ She tossed and turned. _Wake up._ She sat up abruptly her breathing fast and uneven. The sense of dread lingered in her heart as she kicked off her blankets from her sweaty body. She brought up her knees to her chest with her face in her hands shaking her head. "Why me?" she asked herself. She shot her head up to see Joker sitting on a chair in the corner. Without saying anything she stood and walked out of the room. In the kitchen she poured herself a glass of straight whiskey. She left it on the counter watching it waiting for her shaky hands to calm. She heard his footsteps coming to join her, "What do you want this time?" she asked her voice scratchy as if she had been screaming. Her breathing rocked her body as she looked at him sideways, "I can't deal with you right now." she told him. He clicked his tongue on his teeth with both hands on a cane in front of his body. She couldn't help but notice... _no Valarie, get yourself together._ He approached her and took her glass from in front of her, "Drinking is bad for you." he said placing behind him. "Yeah well, so is being in the same room as a murderer. Now give that back." she reached for he but he grabbed more gently than usual, "Look, okay, it's better than those shitty meds the doctor gives me so give it back." she reached one more time and he slammed her body on the counter.

Valarie did not move after that. "God, I hate you Joker." she told him and he brought her back down with her face close to his. The distinct odor of gun powder and blood lingered around his like some cheap cologne. It was intoxicating. "Please, let me go." she asked sincerely. A flash of amusement came to his light colored eyes and he slowly relented until her feet were firmly planted on the ground, "Thank you." she added as her glass was placed back in her hands. She took a swig and made her own way to her living room, "So, I take it you're from Gotham?" she inquired with an eyebrow raised. She sat on the arm of the couch as she watched move effortlessly to join her in the living room. He ignored her question and began to pilfer through drawers and shelves. "Okay, that's fine I just figured since you insisted on being apart of my life we should..." he shot her a sideways glance. "We should what, Val? Get to know each other?" he shot back her and laughed as if she had something with an underlying joke. He grabbed a photo album and started to flip through the pages. "I do _love_ a woman in uniform." he said taking a picture from the album, "Hey!" she stood going towards. He stopped her and flashed the picture. It was her wearing her army greens and full gear holding her rifle along with two other females, all smiling cheerfully. She remembered going to the range to qualify as a private. "You seem so," he paused moving about theatrically, "Happy in this picture. Hard to believe really." he said coming back into her personal space. "Tell me, what killed that happy little girl in the picture?" he asked his lips brushing her neck making Valarie shiver. Shaking her head she replied, "I won't answer any of your questions until you answer some of mine." she took him taking her chance to take the picture back. She put it behind her back before he could react to it.

He groaned like a child not getting his way, "Yes, I was born and raised in the Narrows." he said answering her question, "Now your turn." she smiled and turned away from him and slid the picture back into it's place. She sighed, "You don't come back from war the same person. After watching my brothers and sisters die, not being able to help. Being shot yourself. Sometimes, you just snap. It's why I couldn't reenlist. They said I was mentally unstable." she explained and chuckled to herself, "I mean you point a gun at someone for dropping something in a public place, and suddenly your mentally ill, or you have PTSD." she said taking another gulp of whiskey. He listened to her and oddly enough she felt better for being able to laugh at herself for doing something so recklessly dangerous. Then again, look at who she was talking to. "What happened to you?" she asked him approaching him invading his space for once, "What made you turn into the Joker?" she asked. "Don't ask questions if you aren't ready for the answers Doll." he told her.

She heard a beep and jumped nearly dropping her heavy drinking glass. It was only his watch. She exhaled mentally berating herself for her actions. He looked at the time, "Well it seems this session is over Dollface." he said to her moving hair from her face and coming in close as if to kiss her but he didn't. _Tease._ "You're starting to sound like my therapist." she told him. He made his way towards the front door and stopped clicking his tongue, "Ah, yes. I almost forgot. We have a casual get together tomorrow night to go to." he waved his hands in the air and left her alone. She frowned as she went to the door to lock it. _A casual meeting? Why don't I like the sound of that?_ She asked herself as she finished her drink and brought it to the living room. The clock on the stove read _3:14._ She needed to go back to bed...hopefully this was just a bad dream.

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 **Hey everyone! I hope you're liking the story so far. I know this chapter is really short compared to my other short chapters but the next one will be pretty lengthy. Since there wasn't many scenes with the Joker and his habits I'm getting inspiration from the all of them. The Joker from Suicide Squad will be coming out more during the next chapter. Please leave any comments or reviews.**


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